Enlightening the Postsynaptic Density

作者：Edward Benjamin Ziff · 发表于：Neuron · 年份：1997 · DOI：10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80409-2 · 被引用次数：387 · 研究领域：Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research、Retinal Development and Disorders、Photoreceptor and optogenetics research

The postsynaptic density (PSD) is a specialization of the cytoskeleton at the synaptic junction. It lies adjacent to the cytoplasmic face of the postsynaptic membrane, in close apposition to the active zone of the synapse and the docked synaptic vesicles in the presynaptic terminal. Emerging evidence indicates that the PSD provides multiple functions and is an essential component of an extraordinary synaptic signaling assemblage. The PSD forms a disc that consists of cytoskeletal and regulatory proteins, some of which contact the cytoplasmic domains of ion channels in the postsynaptic membrane. This location places the PSD directly in the path of the intracellular ionic fluxes and second messenger cascades generated by neurotransmitters. It is now apparent that the PSD provides a structural matrix, which clusters ion channels in the postsynaptic membrane (reviewed byKennedy 1993; Kennedy 1997; Ehlers et al. 1996a) and anchors signaling molecules such as kinases and phosphatases at the synapse (reviewed byKlauck and Scott 1995). These properties suggest that the PSD serves as a general organizer of the postsynaptic signal transduction machinery, which links regulatory molecules to their targets, coordinates developmental and activity-dependent changes in postsynaptic structures, and establishes the functional topography of the postsynaptic membrane. Important mechanisms for synaptic regulation, including long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), are likely t...